August 2020
Price: £95 PLUS VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
***Full-scale policy conference taking place online***
Stakeholders and policymakers at this timely conference will examine policy priorities and next steps for tackling poverty and deprivation in Wales.
Areas for discussion include:
- the key drivers and underlying causes of poverty
- next steps after the Government’s child poverty review and fuel poverty plan
- roll-out of Universal Credit
- local and national employment strategies
- the COVID-19 crisis and how the Welsh and UK governments, and other key stakeholders, have reacted to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on those living in or in danger of falling into poverty
The discussion in detail:
The COVID-19 crisis - with discussion expected on:
- how the UK and Welsh Governments, and other key stakeholders, have reacted to attempt to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on those currently living in poverty and in preventing more people from falling into poverty
- issues such as:
- job security and housing, and coordinating access to food and essential items in education settings, through local authorities, community groups, hubs, and elsewhere
- boosting future resilience in providing food as part of a crisis response and the long-term implications of an increased demand on the welfare system
- what can be learned for the future from cross-sectoral work in response to the current emergency
- the relationship between poverty and health outcomes, with the ONS finding that the most deprived areas of Wales had almost twice the mortality rate as the least deprived area, with relation to deaths involving COVID-19 in March and the beginning of April
The fundamentals - understanding the key drivers of poverty, taking into account a range of geographical and demographic differences across Wales - with discussion expected on:
- latest thinking on priorities for addressing the underlying causes of poverty and deprivation
- assessing developments in policy, best practice and delivery on a local level
- setting goals and measuring progress - identifying desired positive outcomes for short, medium- and long-term models for supporting individuals and families
Child poverty - looking at key issues, and the organisation of support - including:
- progress on key challenges for alleviating the impact of poverty on education and attainment
- collaborative work that is being undertaken to address issues such as food poverty
- opportunities around early intervention, and examples of best practice in supporting disadvantaged families within the ongoing Families First and Flying Start programmes
- prioritising work-streams and funding across public, third and private sectors
Employment and income, and Universal Credit rollout - examining local, Welsh Government and Westminster policy and strategies, and how they are interrelating - with discussion expected on:
- impact of UK Government plans for completing the rollout of Universal Credit
- national-level policy and initiatives to increase the rate of employment and productivity, and reduce inequalities
- community focused policy, looking at progress and next steps for investment and regeneration in communities in Wales
- developing skills and productivity locally, and supporting low-paid workers into higher-paid employment
- developing secure and higher-paid employment for disadvantaged groups, including women and those balancing paid work with caring and other outside-work responsibilities
Housing - with discussion expected on:
- improving the quality of accommodation - in particular with aspects such as energy efficiency
- addressing challenges presented to the private rented sector by low income security and in-work poverty
- the role of landlords in working with local authorities and tenants
Developments that are relevant to the discussion:
The agenda:
- Understanding the key drivers of poverty, the impact of COVID-19, and supporting communities across Wales - with Professor Chris Taylor, Cardiff University Social Science Research Park
- Identifying desired outcomes and measuring performance over time - with Cllr Dimitri Batrouni, Monmouthshire County Council
- Addressing the underlying causes of poverty - with Rachel Cable, Oxfam Cymru and Rev Ruth Coombs, Equality and Human Rights Commission
- Next steps for tackling child poverty following the Welsh Government review
- UK Government policies to combat child poverty - with Andrew Latto and Nadine Davies, Department for Work and Pensions
- Key challenges for implementing the new fuel poverty plan - with Mark Jeffs, Wales Audit Office and Ben Saltmarsh, National Energy Action Cymru
- Local and national employment strategies: higher-paid employment, developing income security and reducing in-work poverty
- Policy priorities for tackling poverty in Wales - with Maureen Howell, Welsh Government
Policy officials attending:
Our forums are known for attracting strong interest from policymakers and stakeholders.
This one’s no different. Places have been reserved by a range of officials from the Welsh Government as well as from the DWP; Estyn; HM Revenue & Customs and the MHCLG.
This is a full-scale conference taking place online***
- full, four-hour programme including comfort breaks - you’ll also get a full recording to refer back to
- information-rich discussion involving key policymakers and stakeholders
- conference materials provided in advance, including speaker biographies
- speakers presenting via webcam, accompanied by slides if they wish, using the Cisco WebEx professional online conference platform (easy for delegates - we’ll provide full details)
- opportunities for live delegate questions and comments with all speakers
- a recording of the addresses, all slides cleared by speakers, and further materials, is made available to all delegates afterwards as a permanent record of the proceedings
- delegates are able to add their own written comments and articles following the conference, to be distributed to all attendees and more widely
- networking too - there will be opportunities for delegates to e-meet and interact - we’ll tell you how!
Full information and guidance on how to take part will be sent to delegates before the conference
